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Reconstruction of The Hague's High-Voltage Grid Nears Completion

Jan 13, 2012

TenneT has reached a new milestone in the major reconstruction of the high-voltage grid in and around The Hague, The Netherlands. The start-up of a new distribution station in Ypenburg and the connected lines will substantially increase the region’s security of supply. TenneT has been working for many years on expanding the high-voltage grid in the region. The grid is being strengthened to meet the sharply increased demand for electricity. Tens of millions of euro have already been invested in this complex operation.

One of the reasons why the lines and station are necessary is to meet the big surge in demand for electricity driven by the growth of the city. Recent years have seen the addition of numerous new districts and companies. The existing grid was not sufficiently equipped to absorb this kind of growth. Another advantage of the new line is the possibility to transmit electricity through the region by multiple routes. This will reduce the risk of major outages.

The new Ypenburg high-voltage substation will be an important link in the supply of electricity to The Hague. Two new underground power cables run between this substation and the existing high-voltage substations in Voorburg and Wateringen. These 150-kV cables were laid last year. In electricity transmission terms they perform a function similar to a provincial road.

The work in and around The Hague is extremely complex. The two new cables were laid in a highly urbanized area with numerous homes and countless crossover points with other infrastructure like roads, railways and waterways. Wherever possible the installation work was combined with work being carried out by other parties. A large number of temporary facilities were installed to make sure that the supply of electricity would not be jeopardized.

TenneT is still working on some other projects to strengthen the electricity grid in and around The Hague. They include construction of a new high-voltage substation in Wateringen to which a 380-kV electricity highway will be connected. The new 20-km long line will run from Wateringen to Bleiswijk. TenneT is also going to upgrade the existing line between Wateringen and Westerlee to enable its more intensive use. Among other things the electricity generated by commercial market gardeners in the Westland area will be transmitted over the line to consumers in The Hague and elsewhere.

TenneT is currently replacing an aboveground line and underground cable between Wateringen and Rijswijk. This replacement was agreed with residents of the Wateringse Veld district. The new underground cable will go into service and the old pylons will be removed early 2012.

The entire reconstruction of the region's high-voltage grid will be completed in the course of 2013. The total investment comes to more than 300 million euro.